I just hooked up a Prodigy Express DCC system to see if it was working properly with the exception of poor low speed control I just attributed this to a cheap loco. I picked one of the few DCC engines I have road ready a low end Bachmann GP38 every function seems to be ok but the loco is noisier then I recall it running on DC. Is this just the sign of as cheap low end locomotive or did I do something wrong? I set it up on CV 29 as per the instructions. I am a DCC virgin so please be gentile. I get a migraine just reading about CV and addresses etc. still low on the learning curve.
Also is there any way of telling weather an engine has a decoder in it without removing the shell maybe on the program track some how?
Can you actually run the loco or does it just sit there and buzz? If it just sits and buzzes, then it is a DC loco.
David B
The included (cheap) Bachmann decoder is an old out of production Lenz (at least, Lenz no longer sells it) that does not have a high frequency ‘silent’ drive, so I would not be surprised if it ‘buzzed’ or hummed on DCC. When running in DC mode it wouldn’t do this since the decoder simply passes the DC through to the motor
–Randy
If it’s one of the older Bachmann DCC OnBoard locos it will buzz, humm and may even make a sound similar to a moan while it’s running. This will be especially prevalent at low speeds. If it buzzes/shrieks without moving at all then it’s a DC loco. The newer Bachmann DCC OnBoard locos run much more quietly than the old ones.
It’s about two years old give or take and it does run and yes the noise is more previlant at low speeds I have several other DC loco’s that I have to break out of storage and I’ll give them a try later on. It is one of the DCC on board El Cheapo models so I guess you get what you pay for.
Thanks for the help.